Roller assembly for sliding doors



Sept. 8, 1970 R. M. SAUNDERS 3,526,995

7 ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR SLIDING nooas 59 5'7 58 9 i Flled Feb. 5, 1969 K vl S $-25 as g g st INVENTOR Renata-r M.SAUNDE.BS

ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 49-420 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A sliding door roller assembly with a no-jump feature, andwherein there is provided a replaceable wheel housing and aspring-loaded mechanism for maintaining the parts in their properlocation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present inventionpertains to roller assemblies as defined in Class 20, subclass l9, andClass 49, subclass Description of the prior art The prior art includesthe following prior patents: 3,040,391, 3,060,524, 2,980,947, 3,298,136,3,175,255.

Some of the differences or advantages that the present invention hasover these prior patents is as follows:

The roller assembly for sliding doors of the present invention has ano-jump feature, and wherein there is provided a means for replacing thewheel housings, the roller assembly adapted to be used for various typesof sliding doors, such as sliding screen doors, patio doors and thelike. In addition, there is provided a spring-loaded mechanism forhelping prevent the device from jumping its track, and wherein there isprovided an improved adjustable feature, and there is also provided ameans for facilitating initial installation of the door in itsframework.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention thereis provided a roller assembly for sliding doors which includes a brackethaving a member pivotally connected thereto, and wherein a wheel housingis detachably or removably connected to the assembly, there being ascrew member which permits adjustment of the parts to the desiredlocation, and wherein there is provided a means for initially retainingor maintaining the wheel housing and associated parts in their raisedposition until the door is mounted or positioned in the frame wherebythe parts can be subsequently adjusted to move the wheel down intoengagement with its track.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS there is illustrated a roller assemblywhich is indicated generally by the numeral 55, and the numeral 56indicates a portion of a horizontally disposed track, while the numeral57 indicates a portion of a sliding door, the door 57 includesvertically disposed spaced parallel side members 58, a panel 59, and abottom rail 60. The side members 58 may have apertures or openings 61therein for the "ice insertion therethrough of a portion of ascrewdriver or other tool. The numeral 62 indicates a bracket or castingwhich includes a vertically disposed first leg or portion 63 whichengages an inner surface of the member 58, and which may be secured inplace by a securing element such as a screw 64. The bracket 62 furtherincludes a horizontally disposed second portion 65, as well as anupstanding portion 66 which may be defined as a third portion 66. Thebracket 62 also includes a depending vertically disposed fourth portionor leg 67 as well as a horizontally disposed fifth portion or leg '68which is adapted to be secured in place by a securing element such asthe screw 69.

The numeral 70 indicates an adjustable screw member which has a head 71thereon that is adapted to be engaged by a screwdriver or tool extendedthrough the aperture 61. A spring member or coil spring 72 has one endcircumposed on a portion of the screw member 70, and the other end ofthe coil spring 72 abuts or engages a cross-piece 80 of an adjustablebase unit 75. The numeral 73 indicates an enlargement or shoulder on theportion 68 of the bracket 62, and the enlargement 73 has an arcuaterecess 74 therein. The base unit 75 has an integral rounded tongue 76which is adapted to rockably or pivotally engage the recess 74. Baseunit 75 further includes side portion 77, and the numeral 78 indicates awheel or roller which is journalled between the side portions 77 as at79, and the roller 78 is adapted to engage or move along the track 56.The portion 67 of the bracket 62 has a threaded aperture or opening 81therein through which extends the screw member 70. The numeral 82indicates a rupturable tab or tongue which is adapted to be initiallyconnected to the bracket 62 as at 83, and initially the other end of thetongue 82 is connected to the base unit 75 as at 84, and this initialposition of the parts is illustrated in FIG. 1. At the proper time, theparts can be adjusted so that the tongue 82 will separate at the point84 from the base unit 75 so as to permit the roller assembly to move toits lower operative position after the door has been installed. Thisarrangement permits or facilitates installation of the door in its doorframe inasmuch as the door can be readily installed in the door framewith the roller in raised position as shown in FIG. 1, wherebysubsequently the parts can be adjusted or moved so that the rollerassembly moves to its lowermost position so that the roller or wheelengages the track in order to permit the sliding door to move back andforth in the desired manner.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided aroller assembly for sliding doors, and in use with the parts arranged asshown in the drawings, initially the parts may be in a position such asthat shown in FIG. 1 so that the wheel or roller and associated partsare arranged within the lower portion or bottom rail portion of thedoor. With the parts in the position of FIG. 1, the door can be readilyinstalled or inserted in its frame, and because the wheel or roller 78is in the retracted position of FIG. 1 there will be no interferencewith placement of the door in its frame. After the door has beeninserted in the frame, the parts can be adjusted or moved so that theyoccupy a position such as that shown in FIG. 2, whereby the roller willengage the truck so that a door can slide back and forth along the trackin the desired manner.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 1 through 4 wherein it will be seenthat there is provided a roller assembly 55 which has a no-jump feature.In the arrangement of FIGS. 1 through 4, the bracket 62 is adapted to besnugly mounted within each lower corner portion of a sliding door suchas the door 57. With further reference to the roller assembly 55, thebracket 62 may be secured in place in the corner of the door by means ofsecuring elements, such as the securing elements 64 and 69, and

initially when installing the door 57 in the door frame or in the properposition above the track 56, the parts are in the position shown in FIG.1, and this serves to assure that there will be sufiicient clearance tofacilitate mounting or installation of the door inasmuch as the roller78 will be in a retracted or upward position. After the door has beenmounted in its proper position above a track, such as the track 56, atool such as a screwdriver can be arranged so that the shank or tip ofthe screwdriver is easily and readily inserted through the opening 61 toengage the head 71 of the screw member 70, so that the screw member 70can be rotated or turned inwardly in the threaded opening 81 in theportion 67 of the bracket 62, and this will cause the inner end of thescrew member 70 to bear against a portion such as the portion 80 of thebase unit or wheel housing 75 so that the unit 75 can pivot or rotateabout an axis extending through the portion 76 and the portion 76 canrotate or swivel in the recess 74 or the enlargement 73. This will causethe tab or tongue 82 to rupture or break such as at the point 84 so thatthe parts will move downwardly from the position shown in FIG. 1 to theposition shown in FIG. 2, whereby the wheel 78 will properly engage thetrack 56. The coil spring 72 serves to exert the proper amount ofpressure on the unit 75 so as to maintain the wheel or roller 78 inengagement with the track 56 so that the roller will not jump off thetrack, whereby the door will slide back and forth in the proper anddesired manner.

It will be seen that the tongue 82 thus provides a means for initiallyand selectively retaining or maintaining the wheel 78 in its housing 75in raised position until the door has been installed in its properlocation, whereby the screw member 70 can then be adjusted or rotated torupture the tongue or tab 82 at a point such as the point 84 so that thespring can maintain the wheel downward and below the lower edge portionof the door.

It is to be understood that the parts can be made of any suitablematerial and in different shapes and sizes as desired or required.

Also, it will be seen that in accordance with the present inventionthere has been provided a roller assembly for a sliding door which isrugged in construction and economical to make or manufacture as well asbeing eflicient to use and in addition the roller assembly is convenientand foolproof in operation as well as being easily and readilyadjustable.

It will be seen that with the present invention the members such as thetab or tongue 82 hold the roller up inside the door until it is desiredto release the roller, and

this makes it easier to install or mount the door in place because thereare no downwardly projecting parts that will get in the way of doorinstallation. After the door is in position, the tab or tongue can bemoved or released to permit the roller and associated parts to movedownwardly as previously described. With the present invention, theparts cannot be put in place incorrectly and there are a minimum numberof parts which are ruggedly constructed. Also, the present invention isnot limited to any particular configuration or construction of door.Other or alternative ways can be used for maintaining the roller inretracted position until it is desired to have the roller engage thetrack. The device is spring-loaded whereby the spring keeps the rollerfrom jumping the track after the assembly has been properly adjusted.Due to the provision of the interengaging portions, the parts cannot beput together in improper manner since there is only one way that theywill fit together. The parts can be molded, cast or stamped, or they canbe made of solid materials, and in a very short period of time the wheeland wheel housing can be replaced without the necessity of removing theentire assembly, merely by removing screw 50, and this can be donewithout dismantling any other portion of the door.

The present invention is light in weight and is specially convenient touse on screen doors and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings, the numeral indicates a rollerassembly for a sliding door such as the sliding door 57. The door 57 mayinclude vertically disposed spaced parallel side members 58, a panel 59,a bottom rail 60 having a cutout or opening 107, and the side members 58have openings 61 therein for the insertion therethrough of a portion ofa screwdriver or other tool.

As shown in FIG. 5, the roller assembly 90 includes a bracket 91 whichincludes a first leg or portion 92 that is vertically disposed, and thebracket 91 further includes a horizontally disposed second portion 93,as well as an upstandingthird portion 94. The bracket 91 also includes avertically disposed fourth portion or leg 95 which has a threadedopening 108 therein. The bracket 91 also includes a horizontallydisposed portion or leg 96. As shown in the drawings, there is provideda screw member 97. The screw member 97 has a head 98 on the outer endthereof. The numeral 99 indicates a coil spring which has one endcircumposed on a portion of the screw member 97. The roller assembly 90further includes a support member 109 that embodies or includes a bodypiece 100, as well as a base element 111, and the pieces 100 and 111 areadapted to be fastened together as, for example, by means of securingelement 101. The coil spring 99 has an end hereof abutting a surface orportion 110 of the body piece 100. The portion 96 of the bracket 91 hasa shoulder or rounded portion 102, and the shoulder 102 has an innerrecess 112. The numeral 103 indicates a rounded tongue which is integralwith the body piece 100, and the tongue 103 is adapted to selectively,rockably and pivotally move in the recess 112. The tongue 103 has arupturable tab 104, and the shoulder 102 is provided with a groove 105for selectively receiving the tab 104. The numeral 106 indicates a wheelor roller which is journaled in the base element 111.

It will, therefore, be seen that when using the roller assembly 90 ofFIG. 5, initially the parts are in the position of FIG. 5 so that thetab 104 is seated in the groove 105. At the proper time the parts can beadjusted so that the tab 104 will rupture or separate from the tongue103 so as to permit the roller assembly to move to its lower operativeposition partially through the cutout 107 after the door has beeninstalled. This will permit installation of the door in its door framewith the roller in raised position as shown in FIG. 5. Subsequently, theparts can be adjusted or moved so that the roller assembly moves to itslowermost position whereby the roller or wheel 106 will engage the tracktherebelow in order to permit the sliding door to move back and forth asdesired or required. As shown in FIG. 5, it is only necessary to inserta tool such as a screwdriver through the opening 61 to engage the head98 so as to rotate the screw member 97 whereby the inner end of thescrew member 97 will bear against or engage a portion such as theportion of the body piece 100, and when sufficient slight pressure hasbeen applied in this manner, the tab 104 will rupture from its tongue103 so that the coil spring 99 will bias or urge the support member 109to a down position, after the door has been installed. Thus, the coilspring 99 functions to provide a no-jump feature to the assembly due tothe fact that the wheel 106 will be urged or biased into engagement withits track in such a manner that the ability of the wheel 106 to jumpfrom its track will be minimized or eliminated.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what isconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices and apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. In a no-jump roller assembly for sliding doors, a bracket, apivotally mounted wheel housing operatively connected to said bracket,spring means operatively connected to said wheel housing, and retainingmeans for selectively maintaining the wheel housing in raised position,said retaining means comprising a rupturable tongue.

2. In a roller assembly for a sliding door, in combination with ahorizontally disposed track, said sliding door including verticallydisposed side members having apertures therein, said door furtherincluding a horizontally disposed bottom rail, a bracket including a vertically disposed first portion, a horizontally disposed secend portion,an upstanding third portion, a depending fourth portion, and saidbracket further including a horizontally disposed fifth portion, therebeing a threaded opening in said fourth portion of the bracket, a screwmember extending through said last-named opening, a coil springci'rcumposed upon said screw member, a base unit engaging the other endof the coil spring opposite to the end on the screw member, a wheeljournalled in said base unit, an enlargement on the fifth portion ofsaid bracket and said enlargement having an arcuate recess therein, saidbase unit having a rounded portion swivelly engaging said last-namedrecess, and a rupturable tongue operatively connecting said base unit tosaid bracket.

3. In a roller assembly for sliding doors, a bracket, an adjustablescrew member connected to said bracket, a coil spring circumposed on aportion of said screw member, a support member having said coil springengaging a portion thereof, a shoulder on said bracket and said shoulderhaving a recess therein, said support member having an integral roundedtongue for selective rockable movement in said recess, a rupturable tabon said tongue, there being a groove in said shoulder for receiving saidtab, and a roller connected to said support member.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3, wherein said bracket includes afirst vertically disposed portion, a horizontally disposed secondportion, a vertically disposed third portion, a depending fourth portionhaving a threaded opening therein for receiving said screw member, andsaid support member including a body piece and a base element connectedtogether.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,175,255 3/1965 Saunders 494253,283,444 11/1966 Andres 49-420 3,386,208 6/1968 Banner 49-420 3,443,3405/1969 Helmick et al. 49-420 J. KARL BELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.16-91; 49425

